Sterling Heights: Looking Local: Made from Scratch at Brome Modern Eatery
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Looking Local: Made from Scratch at Brome Modern Eatery

Trending in Sterling Heights   Posted on September 15, 2026

Like plenty of 17-year-olds, Jad Jamil just needed a job.

Jad was beginning a physical therapy education program at Wayne State and working at an ice cream shop in Dearborn, staring at the yellow Brome Modern Eatery signage across the street every day. A friend who worked there informed Jad of an open cook position. Jad was happy to take the opportunity for a bigger paycheck, not realizing the job would completely change his plans.

"I really fell in love with the whole idea of a scratch-made kitchen, everything made to order," Jad said. "It became addicting, to be honest."

Jad loved it so much, he pivoted his education to culinary and hospitality and after a year-and-a-half, started running the kitchen for shifts.

"The business side of it blew me away," he said. "I switched to basically everything a restaurant can have — a degree in accounting, a degree in business, a degree in hotel management, a bachelor's in culinary hospitality. I'm like a walking restaurant."

Now, at 23, he's running his own kitchen at Brome Modern Eatery's Sterling Heights.

Jad's rise through Brome happened almost as quickly as his change in career plans. A Dearborn location needed a manager, the teenager studying culinary and hospitality was given a chance to step up. There was just one small misunderstanding.

"When I first met the owner, he thought I was 24 or 25," Jad said. "I was like, 'Oh no, I'm 19.'"

Brome took the chance anyway.

"They took a very big risk on me," Jad said. "I learned as much as I can from that. That's always been how I am — if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. And I got pretty good at it."

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Over the years, Jad guesses he's managed between 100 and 150 employees. Along the way, he discovered another part of the restaurant business he loved: the people.

"I love giving somebody their first job," Jad said. "It's like, man, I get to teach this guy everything from scratch? I've met some of the greatest people in my life from hiring them."

Brome had long been interested in expanding to Sterling Heights, and Jad liked the idea, too. He had spent plenty of time around Macomb County.

"I know that people here are great," Jad said. "I know it's a good area. It's phenomenal."

When the opportunity presented itself, Jad and business partner Ali Taleb jumped.

The result is Brome Modern Eatery's newest location, where the pair are now getting an entirely different education in the restaurant business — ownership.

Brome operates as a scratch-made kitchen with a menu designed to cover considerably more ground than its burgers might suggest. Halal-certified proteins, vegan and gluten-free options are joined by chicken and fish sandwiches, salads, breakfast, smoothies, açaí bowls, hand-spun milkshakes and more.

"Healthy can typically go two ways to people," Jad said. "It can be lower calorie or clean food. To me, personally, it's clean food. We take it pretty seriously, to be honest."

For those counting calories, Jad points to smoothies designed to serve as a meal all on their own. For those decidedly not counting, there's the Dante's Heaven, Jad's personal favorite burger for the past six years, topped with turkey bacon, ghost-pepper jack, braised onion, cherry-pepper relish and sweet habanero.

And then there's the restaurant's biggest seller: the Super Smash.

Pickles, Brome Sauce, onions and American cheese make up a burger so comparatively simple that its popularity still surprises Jad.

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"It's just a traditional smash," he said. "It doesn't get more basic than that."

That variety extends throughout the day. The Sterling Heights location opens at 8 a.m. with a full breakfast menu and keeps serving until 11 p.m.

"You could eat us for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Jad said. "Whatever you're craving, we most likely have."

Ownership has also changed the way Jad looks at the occasional day when those crowds aren't there. Jad knows the location, having only been open for about three months, will have some lulls as first-time customers slowly become regulars.

"You're not looking at it from inside the restaurant as a manager," Jad said. "You're looking at it from the top, as an owner. I can't get happy when it's slow. It's a completely different perspective on us."

Fortunately, he has someone alongside him for the view. Jad and Ali share responsibilities throughout the restaurant, from the office to the kitchen. Jad has his own comparison for the partnership.

"We're like Jordan and Pippen," he said.

When the basketball reference didn't quite land with Taleb, Jad reconsidered.

"Well, maybe Ali's more like Rodman."

For now, Jad is less concerned with where another Brome might take him than getting his first one right. He's looking forward to redevelopment around the former Lakeside Mall property, meeting more of the community and simply watching his new home away from home change around him.

"I just can't wait to go through the seasons in this city," Jad said. "I'm meeting so many people up here, and I'm really happy with my decision."

Brome Modern Eatery is located at 13800 Lakeside Circle, near Schoenherr Road, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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